Combined tablet



(No Model.) B. F. STUART & F. W. WILLSON.

COMBINED TABLET, COPY, AND BILL HOLDER.

Patented Nov. 26, 1895.

UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN sTUART A D FREDERICK WILLIAM WILLSON, or wAco, TEXAs.

COMBINED TABLET, COPY, AND BILLHOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 550,382, dated November26, 1895. 7

Application filed September 29, 1894. Serial No. 524,498. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STUART and FREnERIoK WILLIAMWILLsoN, citizens of the United States,residing atWaco, in the county ofMcLennan and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful CombinedTablet, Copy, and Bill Holder, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to a tablet and copy holder and bill-file, and theobjects in view are to provide improved means for holding file-pins intheir operative and inoperative positions, to provide simple andimproved means whereby a tablet or bills may be covered when not in useor when carrying the device,to protect the same from dirt, &c. and,furthermore, to provide improved means for supporting the holder inposition for transcribing.

Further objects and advantages of our invention will appear hereinafter,and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in theclaims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device with theparts arranged in position to support a tablet during the taking ofnotes. Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the parts folded or arranged fortransportation, with the covering-plate arranged parallel with and infront of the body portion of the holder. Fig. 3 is a similar view withthe parts arranged in position to support a tablet durin the transcribinof notes. Fi 4 is a vertical section to show the means for securing theupper edge of the covering-plate to the rear side of the main plate orbody portion. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view to show the means forlocking the file-pins. Fig. 6 is a detail view of one end of therock-shaft which carries the file-pins.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the draW- ings.

1 designates the main plate or body portion of the holder, at the upperend of which are arranged bearings 2 and 3, in which are mounted theextremities of a rock-shaft 4, carrying the file-pins 5. The bearing 2is closed at its outer end, and arranged between said closed end of thebearing'and the adjacent extremity of the rock-shaft is a spring 6,adapted to move the shaft longitudinally and hold the transverse notch 7in its opposite end in engagement with a locking-pin 8, which isdisposed in or adjacent to the bearing 3. In order to disengage therock-shaft to allowthe file-pins to be raised from engagement with thestationary studs 9, said shaft must be pushed longitudinally toward saidspring, thus compressing the spring. It will be seen that the file-pinsmay be locked in either their open or closed position. Connected to saidmain plate or body portion by means of a bail 10 is a covering-plate 11,adapted to be arranged in front of and parallel with the main plate, asshown in Fig. 2, to protect the tablet or bills filed thereon. Thisplate prevents the soiling of notes in carrying them from place to placeand holds the leaves of a tablet in contact and in proper position uponthe main plate. The upper end of this coveringplate is provided withslots 12 to receive filepins when said plate is arranged in the positionshown in Fig. 2,'and it is provided at its upper end between said slotswith a keeper 14, which is adapted to engage a tongue 15, attached tothe rear side of the main plate to hold said main plate in an inclinedposition, as shown in Fig. 3, to support a tablet during thetranscribing of notes.

The bail is preferably formed of a continuous piece of wire bent to formthe sides 16,

the connecting portion 17, which is mounted in a bearing 18 in thecovering-plate, and the aligned terminals 19, which are mounted in abearing 20 in the main plate.

It will be seen that the single notch in the end of the rock-shaftengages the single stationary locking-pin 8 and thereby secures thefile-pins in either their operative or inoperative position.Furthermore, the covering-plate may be folded parallel and in contactwith either the front or the rear surface of the main plate, theconnection between said plates by means of the bail, the transverseportions of which are mounted in bearings located upon opposite sides ofthe transverse centers of the plates, providing for the arrangement ofsaid plates with their contiguous edges even or flush with each other,said plates being coextensive. The advantage derived from thisconstruction resides in the fact that the plates may be folded'into com-IOO pact form for transportation, as in carrying a tablet, and in orderto still further provide for compact folding the springtongue 15 iscountersunk in the rear surface of the main plate, which is providedwith a shallow recess for its reception, and the bearings for thetransverse portions of the continuous bail are countersunk in theplates. This also provides for using either surface of either plate as awriting-plane.

It will be understood that in practice various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted towithout departing from the principle or sacrificing any of theadvantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed,and desired to besecured by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a device of the class described,the combination of a main plate provided at its upper end with bearings,one of which is closed at its outer end, a stationary pin arrangedtransversely in the other bearing, a rock shaft mounted at itsextremities in said bearings and provided at the end contiguous to thetransverse pin with a single slot for engagement therewith, a springlocated in the other bearing between the closed end thereof and thecontiguous end of the rock shaft, and file pins carried by the rockshaft and adapted to be locked in either their operative or inoperativeposition by the engagement of the notch in the rock shaft with saidtransverse pin, substantially as specified.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a main plate,adjustable file pins carried by the main plate and projectingperpendicularly from the front surface thereof, a co-extensive coveringplate adapted to be arranged parallel and in contact with either thefront or rear surface of the main plate and provided at one end withlongitudinal slots to receive said file pins when in contact wit-h thefrontsurface of the main plate, and a bail permanently connecting saidmain and covering plates, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with amain plate provided with means for engaging atablet, of a covering plate, a bail connecting said covering and mainplates whereby the former may be arranged in front of the latter, andmeans whereby the upper end of the covering plate may be attached to therear side of the main plate to support the latter inan inclinedposition, substantially as specified.

4:. The combination with a main plate provided with means for engaging atablet, of a covering plate, a bail connecting said covering and mainplates, a tongue attached to the rear side of the main plate, and akeeper carried by the covering plate to engage said tongue,substantially as set forth.

5. A combined tablet, copy and bill holder having a main plate providedat its upper edge with adjustable file pins which projectperpendicularly from the plane thereof,and at its rear side with aspring tongue countersunk or let into a shallow recess in the surface ofthe plate, a co-extensive covering plate provided at its upper end withlongitudinal slots to receive said file pins when the covering plate isfolded parallel with and in front of the main plate, said main andcovering plates being provided, respectively, near their lower and upperends with countersunk bearings, a continuous bail having paralleltransverse portions mounted in said bearings, and a keeper projectingfrom the upper edge of the covering plate between the planes of itssurfaces and adapted, when the covering plate is arranged in rear of themain plate, to enter the recess in which is located the spring tongueand engage the same, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STUART. FREDERICK WILLIAM WILLSON.

\Vitnesses for B. F. Stuart:

J. T. SLUDER, S. S. PRESNALL.

\Vitnesses for F. IV. WVillson: JAS. A. CHALLENNER, O. E. DELNO.

